Far and Beyond
by Lord-Inquisitor Hot-Cocoa
Summary: A story of damnation, desolation and retribution. Follow the Stormfront 1st on their journey to greathood in the grim-dark world of Warhammer. In the grim-dark future there is only war.
1. Chapter 1: Flood

_The waves of the great oceans roared against the rocky and steep cliffs, the winds fiercely pulling flags_ and tent sheets from side to side in the dark and cold grounds. The tents, however, were built to withstand these common storms. Their structure reinforced and its residents calmly sitting in their lantern lit homes. Each tent's resident's silhouette displayed by the warm inner lights, their laughter echoing -and interestingly enough- mixing with the storm's growl. Narendra had been sitting alone in his warm tent, letting his sore muscles all around his body consume his thoughts and derail his mind from the ambient chaos outside caused from the storm. His body weakened by the mine's deep toil, he had come back moments ago from his shift, letting the others take theirs no less than an hour ago. He was brought back by the sudden sound of a Siren, ringing distinctively across the camp's grounds amidst the heavy water shed. Rapidly, Narendra rose to his feet in a panic as he heard the outside laughter turn in to screams of help.

 _"_ _What does this have to do with the formation of the penal legion?" The Inquisitor interrupted Narendra_ in his tale "I asked you how the penal legion was made, not what you useless convicts did on you spare time."

"I was getting there" Narendra said, wiggling in his cold metal seat and shifted his feet around the concrete floor, "You asked for a detailed story."

"Carry on then" the Inquisitor lit her pipe, "but don't waste my time with nonsense convict," she concluded with a few puffs of smoke to the side.

 _The campgrounds had been the home to the hundreds of convicts living on the little subcontinent,_ mining the rare mineral found long ago by a rogue trader dynasty. All its residents slaves, with a criminal past or criminal heritage, now collecting this resource deep in the mountains. However, it was well know that these mines could cave-in and shut the outside world from those still within. Cries of terror screeched the words "they're trapped, they're trapped!" Throughout the campgrounds, the people mustered to the mine, even when they did not know what danger lied ahead. The permanently dark sky mixed with the storm and rain, making visibility limited to a few feet ahead; yet the convicts ran across the camp to reach the mine to save their brothers and sisters.

At the mine, men rushed in and out of the cave with minecars and headlamps. Narendra was fighting not to trip or lose his coat to the wind but eventually made it to the entrance of the mine. Running as fast as he could to where a group of men had been yelling and digging. He grabbed an excavating tool and began to dig furiously against the rock wall. A hum was heard from across the wall, hands being tapped against the barrier and cries of fear like a whisper in Narendra's imagination. But this was no figment of imagination, those cries had been real, and their voices signified that there was a chance: they could be saved.

Then the taps and cries ceased, slowly turning into silence after long minutes passed by. The men digging quickened their pace and the minecars squeaking wheels hastily picked up speed. After a good while, a man had been able to pierce the wall only to have water flow out in a burst. Pushing him off his feet before it calmed and flowed out from the hole. In the pierced hole there was no light or sound but that of the water shedding out; even the men had all stopped digging once the hole appeared to look at it. Every man there was now afraid, afraid to find something they did not want to find beyond the black wall before them. Narendra's hands twitched and he dropped his excavation gear on the muddy ground, his left foot having been crushed by the heavy tool and yet he did not think of that. He was looking in the hole in the wall, there he saw a little hand sticking out from inside. It was a little girl's wet hand, her skin light but bruised and blue.

 _"_ _The mine had been flooded and collapsed" Narendra told the woman sitting across the table, his hands_ tinkering with the shackles timidly. He looked at the reflection of himself on the surface of the metal table and while the reflection was blurry and distorted, he saw deep within his own eyes, "everyone inside died, except for one."

The Inquisitor let out a puff of smoke and held the pipe near her lips "who" she barked in the quiet cell. But Narendra was no longer listening, his focus was far away with his thoughts and the Inquisitor had become impatient. "Who… Survived," she now used a tone of power on Narendra, he looked back up at her.

"Lishken."


	2. Chapter 2: Sunset on Hofnus

_He was standing in a cavern with his knees underwater, it was cold and quickly running against him. He_ held to a metal pillar and with every step he took, he dug his heel in the muddy dirt. He was close to the elevator shaft, its light shining against the rocky corridor like a beacon. The only light came from that direction, however so did the watershed. It ran down the elevator shaft in a howl, Lishken pushed on his headlamp and flickered to life. "There!" A voice erupted from the elevator "it's Lishken!" Another responded in fright "you can make it!" The voices cried. Lishken tripped on a drill hidden underwater and stood back up by pulling himself with all his strength. Suddenly the lights from the elevator blinked and sparks came out of the electric box. The group panicked and started to play with it in a rush of fear. Lishken soon made it to the elevator and was pulled by two pairs of hands into the elevator. The gate closed with the help of five people; the elevator sprung to life, its occupants being drenched by the water falling from above. The elevator begun to rise slowly; the rusty parts screeching against one-another. Suddenly the sounds of little rocks was heard on the elevator ceiling, all voices onboard silent to listen to the crackle of rocks overhead. The moment seemed to be moving in slow-motion for Lishken, looking at the occupants holding one-another and crying; Lishken never noticing the tears of his own. Then as abrupt as the silence of the occupants, the sound was heard loudly.

Bang!

 _The door to his cell was swung open and hit the metal wall loudly, with two Tempestus Scions as sentries_ at the door. "Get up" the mechanic voice called "the Inquisitor wants to speak with you." Lishken hadn't notice until now that he was covered in sweat, still holding to his sheets tightly. His blond hair was wet at the temple from the sweat which made it darker. He covered his face with a towel and stood to his feet. The guards stood before him with their weapons drawn; facing the little prisoner in comparison to their height. Lishken held his hands up to the guards, as one of the Scions cuffed him. They walked around the corridors of a high-security facility. The walls were thick with metal and concrete and the cell with screams. Eventually they walked into a room with a single table in the middle and a pair of chairs. "Take a seat," the woman in her gold crafted armor ordered "I hope I did not wake you too soon" she said with a whimsically smiling face.

"My turn to answer" he sat at the closest seat "ask away."

"What makes you think I brought you here to be interrogated?"

Lishken held up the cuffs "You would have not brought me here with these otherwise."

She was annoyed by his answer and pursed her lips; she sat down "I heard you had quite the experience back on Stormfront." She leaned in closed to the young man, his brown eyes never leaving hers "I wanted to know about you" she rapidly said "about your time with the penal legion abroad." Lishken looked down at the table, noticing his blurry reflection.

 _A line of people stood in front of a man wearing a long black coat with gold trims reading a list of names_ and a 'yes' response as each person was called. The group was composed of a wide range of people. Strong men, little girls, even a couple old individuals fighting to stand still. As soon as the name calling was done, the man handed each person a collar which was to be attached soon after receiving as well as turned on.

"On your necks are explosive collars" the gentleman said "this is to prevent mutiny of any kind." The group looked around them and at their big collars, some trying to pull it off. The man noticed "if you pull it off, break it, do anything with it," he pointed to those who'd been toying with them "they will detonate." The crowd immediately stopped touching the collars and grunted with an immediate sense of panic and anxiety. The people of Stormfront were used to threats but have never truly worn anything like these collars before. They used to live on the planet as prisoners but isolated and secure from those outside. Now it was different, much different Lishken thought. "You are tasked with helping our Imperial Guard off-world in a system not too far from here" he held a report in his hands, skimming by with his eyes "you are now property of the Imperial Guard."

 _"_ _What exactly did they train you in?" She asked with an honest tone of curiosity and what Lishken could_ sense as, empathy.

"Things like discipline, order taking, even a period of jogging with heavy vests." He responded, scratching his face with the cuff chains jiggling "it was no more than a month after the flood that we were sent to Hofnus."

 _Hofnus was much different than Stormfront; there was a bright sun that shined a warmth and light to_ the surface of the planet as well as living fauna. There was grass, trees, living volcanoes and massive cities scattered around the surface. The Stormfront First was their regimental name, their size no bigger than a few hundred. There was a war on the planet and no one in the regiment knew exactly why but that they had been sent to help. The Stormfronters were sitting ontop of the Chimera convoy, their heads swaying to every bump hit by the tracked vehicles. The convoy compromised of a dozen vehicles slowly buzzing towards the crackling of fire and explosions on the horizon. The sun was setting in the eastern mountain ranges with an orange glow, complimenting the fires of the city. There was a lot of smoke and dust from the ashes on the ground.

"The first time I saw a sunset" Narendra told Lishken, "never had one of those on Stormfront eh kid."

Lishken was too busy gazing at the sunset far into the distance and never turned away from it the entire ride.

"We should soak it in," he said to the young man with a thick voice, he held onto a piece of fabric "possibly the last beauty we'll see forever." He looked down at the little piece of cloth between his rigid fingers.

The convoy made it eventually to the city and the Stormfronters had to disembark the Chimera tops and walked aside the convoy. There was rubble scattered around the streets but what surprised Lishken was the bodies. There were bodies all over the street being crushed by the Chimeras, their bones and intestines squeezed out as the tracks pressed against them. Narendra grabbed Lishken's shoulder and he looked up with his usual stoic face "don't look" he told the boy "close your eyes and I'll hold your hand." Lishken complied and closed his eyes and held onto the vest on his chest, the other hand to the man without a word. A few minutes later Narendra let go "you can open your eyes" he smiled to Lishken after he opened his eyes. They stood in a plaza with great statues standing around the palace walls; their bronze figures holding weapons high in the evening shade.

 _"_ _The Governors palace" he finished._


	3. Chapter 3: Vpredu for Stormfront!

_Author's note: I would like to say that I've read your review and I was flattered by you sir or madam. I try my best to re-read my work and find the mistakes but I'm quite an amateur in English literature and apologize if you find any mistakes while reading. I hope this chapter is not too long, I was unable to stop and forgot my 1k limitation._

 _For the Emperor._

 _Hot-Cocoa_

 _The sound of whistling slowly rose in his ears, vibrantly echoing like a heartbeat in the dark caverns._ There was little room to move but his slim body slithered determinedly with mud dragging his clothes and hair to stick into dry clumps. His eyes unable to produce more tears and aching from the lack of light; there was one direction, and in that direction he crawled. The whistles fed him hope and direction, in the pitch black tunnel no more than two meters in diameter. The whistles turning into words the closer he crawled to it, dragging his left arm; broken and pulsing with pain. He kept pulling himself forward and with each pull he groaned louder, his body's energy giving out. He didn't realize until now that there were little lights shining in the tunnel's walls, little blue diamonds lighting themselves all around and in the distance. They danced in a harmonious jingle and each time the whistle beat, their little lights illuminated brighter in a wave towards Lishken. They seemed to be talking to him in hush gibberish, the diamonds appearing to be larger the further he crawled.

Lishken's next pull caused him to fall and roll down a slope, trying hard not to crush his broken arm as he caged himself with his other arm. On the bottom of the slope, he rested shortly and pulled himself to his feet. There before him was a black sphere, its shape almost perfect and darker than even the tunnels Lishken just emerged from. It floated in the middle of a large cavern, illuminated by the diamonds in the walls. Lishken walked to it, pacing with short steps in order to avoid tripping. He stretches his right arm curiously, his fingers inches away from the orb. The orb almost three stories high and yet perfectly immobile. The whispers… Their words came in surges, Lishken's fingers halted 'what am I doing?' He thought 'I.. I need to…' He resumed closing the distance 'touch it.'

Lishken was standing on a street's edge facing a hunk of junk, some parts of metal and concrete mashed together in a pile. He just realized that he poking at a metal object gently with his right hand lining the contours elegantly. He had been lost in his thoughts while standing quietly back on Hofnus. He was part of a crowd of dirty guardsmen and even dirtier penal troops from back home, distinguishable by their big heavy vests. Narendra was listening to a man in uniform and cap while he nodded every few moments and was pressing his hands together in a pleading manner. His flank was occupied by another one of the convicts, this one with a fatter gut and bushy beard. He was well disciplined and was known as 'Tati' back on Stormfront before the flood, a gentle man which compassion knew no boundaries. Tati pulled Narendra back as soon as Narendra snapped at the officer in anger and what appeared like was apologizing and soon after pulled Narendra away.

"You can't say that to an officer" Tati let go of Narendra's shoulder "you know" he scratched his beard "we can get lucky and be put of logistics duties" his tone lightened. "I don't want to wear this vest anymore" Narendra barely containing his anger "look around you" he grunted and pointed to the convicts sitting and standing around a destroyed hab-block "do we look like we can be useful." Unlike other penal legions, Stormfront's core was made of ancestors of felons and not criminals necessarily, old and weak folks unfit for combat.

"I'm not going to tell these people to run into combat with these vests, I can't." Narendra was now whispering "what will they think once they find out what they do?"

"Quiet, we don't need to mention anything" Tati paced closer "not yet at least."

 _The Inquisitor wiggled her feet that had been resting on the table, crossed and locked in position,_ "explosive vests" she scoffed arrogantly "That must mean they took off the collars and replaced it with much bigger explosives."

Tati was annoyed by the superiority she had spoken with, almost insulting his fellow Stormfronters with every word that come out of her mouth. "We had been sent there as suicide bombers from the very beginning" he scratched his beard. He was looking at the blurry reflection on the table top, his face housing a scar across his temple, horizontally above his brows. "The problem was that many of us were divided into smaller groups, pockets of fifteen Stormfronters." The Inquisitor held her pipe out "that's to make sure that risks of mutiny would be minimalized," she put the pipe back in her mouth but was pulled out just as fast "wait… You did not want to save the other pockets of Stormfronters did you?"

Tati's lips smirked innocently.

"After the scuff at the hab-block, we were ordered to follow a group of engineers to the western districts of the city." Tati straightened his back and sighed "that's where we met our first cultists."

 _Narendra was leading the pack of dozen in a line next to the chimera convoy, his bigger body and shaved_ head resembling that of a smaller orgryn. The chimeras had been making loud squeaking noises from the metal tracks on the concrete pavement but beyond that; the surrounding destroyed buildings had looked completely hollow and dead. Narendra was followed by the youngest member of the section, no more than twenty in age with a frail frame. Lishken was talking to himself under his breath and looking at the steps he took, Narendra was looking at the boy hold the vest with both hands. It was the damn vest that was haunting him at every glance, at every step with the weight against his shoulders, at every unreachable itch under. Tati could not help but notice the man's face leading the column, Narendra's eyes fixated for a moment on the boy behind him.

Explosions and screams erupted in the near distance, the smoke appearing right after a shockwave and trembling vibration in the ground. Narendra immediately locked eyes with Tati as the convoy began to move full throttle. There engines now screaming smoke, the soldiers began jogging forward at the intersection. The Stormfronters hugged the chimera and followed the rush now to the combat zone.

It was at this time that two more explosions rang out and lasguns and heavy bolters sang their war drums. At the intersection, the convoy made a hard left and not more than a few hundred meters was the conflict. The chimera drifted a little as it struggled to keep turning with its speed. The convoy rushed to the sandbags and there guardsmen had been kneeling at a sandbag wall with heavy equipment unleashing havoc on the cultist hoards. Then Tati noticed a Stormfronter sitting next to the sandbags with a man yelling at her, and as soon as she was done, she ran down the middle and exploded in a crowd of cultists.

The explosion ripped the wave of cultists, the young women's trace evaporated with the thick black dirt and fire smoke now masking the entire street where the cultists came from. Tati and Narendra ran forward from the group to reach a small group of Stormfronters hiding behind sandbags while the rest were frozen and dumbstruck from witnessing the suicide charge. Lishken began to panic and was rustling to take off the vest and soon the others tried too but to no avail. "This can't be!" some had howled "we are walking explosives!" Another convict rang out as he was oddly pulling the vest as hard as he could in the midst of lasgun fire. "To hell with this" one of the men yelled and ran to Narendra and Tati and was soon followed by all the able bodied men huddling themselves as they ran from cover to cover. Lishken hesitated as he saw his childhood friends rushing in a cloud of smoke and red lasguns with a roar; instead he quickly reached for a fallen bayonet and cut the vest off. He ran from convict to convict, mostly old convicts shacking as they crawled on all fours. He cut their vests and helped them scour to the back of an immobile chimera.

It was not until now that he realized that the Stormfronters at the front had taken lasguns of the fallen guardsmen littered all over the front. The only fighters left those wearing penal jumpsuits however unlike the guardsmen; they slithered around the cover so quickly even with their vests. And as the bombs blew and the fire rang they called their names in from cover when their instincts directed to run. They somehow dispersed in the smoke and reemerged out like if they saw beyond the clouds. Lishken observed mesmerizingly as the large convicts picked the gear from the floor and even the heavy bolter. Lishken turned to the person pulling his sleeve "wha-" an old woman was holding his sleeve and pointed to the open back hatch of the chimera. Lishken jumped in and quickly motioned for the small group to follow but in a stroke of genius he jumped out and picked the vests and pilled them inside.

The old woman was already sitting in the driver's seat with her boney hands holding onto the throttle and gear. "Can you drive the truck?" Lishken shouted over the sound of combat "can you turn it on?" The old woman fumbled around and soon after the engine growled to life. "Drive forward" Lishken pointed at the slit "right into them."

Narendra was firing with the heavy bolter with his teeth sticking out as he yelled his war cry; he was covering the others as they fought the cultists in close quarters melee. He reached to his side and fed another belt in, cocked it, fired his haze of bolts but then heard the chimera turn alive. He looked behind him and saw that the vehicle sprung to life and accelerated forward towards the front. It jumped over the sandbags and explosions like a mad horse, some Stormfronters had to evade the chimera by throwing themselves to the side and their helmets falling of their heads. The vehicle was turning oddly and appeared to be swerving from side to side along with the turret rotating back and forth. A seeker missile shot out from the turret and hit the building right next to the vehicle.

 _"_ _He pressed the wrong button" Narendra giggled "he was looking for the multi-laser trigger."_

"Keep going."

 _Rubble fell all over the chimera and yet it kept pushing wildly into the crowds of cultists. The back hatch_ opened and an old man threw a vest out from the back while the vehicle still drove. The turret spun back and as soon as a fair distance was made from the vest; the chimera fired a hail of multi-lasers until the vest blew the cultists that have been either crushed or distracted by the feral vehicle. The vehicle kept moving forward and blowing pieces of the street with the vests, cultists now running away in the opposite direction, even with their clear numerical superiority. Tati helped some of the men back to their feet and then jumped over the barricades, running straight in the tracks of the chimera "Vpredu!" He sang in a thunder "Vpredu for Stormfront!"


End file.
